Using the findings from up-to-date attitude surveys in Europe East and West, the US and Australasia, this book shows that, contrary to the claims of experts and policy-makers, the welfare state is still highly popular amongst citizens.

1. 'Hollowing Out' Versus the New Interventionism: Public Attitudes and Welfare FuturesPeter Taylor-Gooby2. Changing Labour Markets, New Social Divisions and Welfare State Support: Denmark in the 1990s.Joergen Goul Andersen3. The Middle Class and Welfare State Retrenchment: Attitudes to Swedish Welfare PoliciesStefan Svallfors4. Who Wants to Preserve the Scandinavian Service State? Attitudes to Welfare Services Among Citizens and Local Government Elities in Finland 1992-96.Helena Blomberg and Christian Kroll5. Welfare State Opinions Among Citizens, MP-Candidates and Elites: Evidence from FinlandPauli Forma6. Progressive Taxation Farewell? Attitudes to Income Redistribution and Taxation in Sweden, Great Britain, and the United StatesJonas Edlund7. Within and Without: Labour Force Status and Political Views in Four Welfare StatesGeorge Matheson and Michael Wearing8. Need, Citizenship or Merit: Public Opinion on Pension Policy in Australia, Finland and PolandPauli Forma & Olli Kangas9. Egalitarianism, Perception of Conflicts, and Support for Transformation in PolandKrzysztof Zagorski10. And What if the State Fades Away? The Civilising Process and the StateZsuzsa Ferge